Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair 2026

The Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair has been a South Bay staple since 1972, and the 2026 edition runs October 3 and 4 at Live Oak Park, Dorsey Field, and the Jocelyn Center. It's free to attend, entirely volunteer-run, and pulls together the kind of neighborhood energy that's genuinely hard to find anywhere else in the LA area.

Both days run 10am to 6pm, giving you a full weekend to explore more than 200 craft booths, catch live music on the main stage, and see who takes home bragging rights at the annual battle of the bands. There's a beer garden for adults and plenty of games and activities for kids, so it works as a family outing or a low-key afternoon with friends.

If you're into handmade goods, this fair tends to have a higher caliber of craft vendors than the typical street fair. Jewelry, ceramics, textiles, prints, and home goods from independent makers fill the grounds across both days. It's a solid place to find something genuinely made by hand rather than mass-produced.

The music lineup adds a lot to the atmosphere. Local bands take the stage throughout the weekend, and the battle of the bands draws competitive performances from acts at all levels. If you show up in the early afternoon, you'll usually catch multiple sets before the day winds down.

Live Oak Park sits in the heart of Manhattan Beach, close to the beach itself. Parking near the venue on a fair weekend fills fast, so arriving early or riding the Metro Green Line to the Redondo Beach station (then a short rideshare hop) makes sense. Manhattan Beach Boulevard is walkable from the venue if you're already in the area.

With LA events calendar packing the fall season, a free two-day community fair stands out. Most los angeles festivals at this scale charge admission; this one relies on volunteer effort and local sponsors to stay free. The MBX Foundation partners with the fair to help support community programming, so there's genuine civic purpose behind the tradition.

If you're looking for things to do in Los Angeles that actually feel local rather than produced, the Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair is worth the trip down to the South Bay. Two days, no cover, and a crowd that actually lives there.